


In Which Tony Has Rough Hands, the Rosses Interfere, And Steve Is a Worrywart

by Jassy



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternative Universe-Genderchange, F/M, always-a-girl!Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-09
Updated: 2013-05-09
Packaged: 2017-12-10 22:03:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/790688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jassy/pseuds/Jassy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things are going along swimmingly for Tony post Chitauri.  That is until the Rosses - daughter and father - step back into Bruce's life and throw Tony for a loop in the process.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. chapter 1

“Bruce!  Bruce Bruce Bruce, I have had the most brilliant idea for a suit upgrade.  Or possibly a horrendous idea, that line is so thin sometimes!”  Antonia Stark burst into her science BFF’s lab, waving around the data pad with her preliminary calculations on it.  “You’ll have to tell me what you think, because this will either completely melt the armor or…oh.  Hello.”  She pulled up short as she finally took in the lab’s occupants.  Plural.  Meaning more than just Bruce.  An absolutely stunning woman sat beside Bruce (practically in his _lap_ , c’mon, the lab was huge, she couldn’t move the chair like six inches?), both of them looking at her in surprise.  The woman was tall and slender, with long dark glossy hair, like something out of a magazine.  She wore tan slacks and a white blouse, and as Tony watched, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with slender, non-callused fingers.

“Tony, hi.”  Bruce stood up with a wide smile.  “This is Betty.  Um, Dr. Betty Ross.  Betty, this is Tony Stark.”  Bruce looked at the pretty woman, his smile turning soft and kind of…awed.

“Of course.  It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Stark.”  Betty stood up and extended a hand.

Years of PR event experience kicked in and Tony smiled and shook her (soft, definitely no calluses or burn scars, and properly manicured, too) hand.  “It’s a pleasure, Dr. Ross.  Sorry to barge in, I didn’t realize that Bruce had company.”

“No, it’s okay.  It sounded rather important.  I can just….”

“Nope!  It’s nothing that can’t wait.  You guys just keep on…” she flapped a hand vaguely, “with whatever.  It was nice meeting you, Dr. Ross.  Bruce, I’ll catch you later.”  Tony turned on her heel and strode out, heading straight for her private elevator.  She kept her pace even when she emerged from it on the floor of her private lab, until she reached the safety of it.  Then she sagged back against the closed door.  “Jarvis, deadlock,” she whispered.

“Ma’am?”  The AI sounded worried.

“You heard me.  Deadlock.  No one has access to this area.  Not for any reason.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”  Behind her, she heard the whir and thud of the titanium bars locking into place in front of the now-opaque glass doors.  More faintly, similar sounds could be heard within the walls and the ventilation shafts were similarly secured.  Nothing bigger than a mouse would be getting through that way, and it would be a very unlucky mouse indeed that did, since a laser grid waited to fry it.  The security cameras in the room blinked out as well.

Privacy thus ensured, she sank to the floor and pulled her knees to her chest.  Her shoulders shook, but no tears fell from her eyes.  She was a Stark; Starks didn’t cry, even when their hearts were breaking.

~

Pepper Potts emerged from the elevator into the communal area of the Tower.  Steve Rogers hurried up to her, face anxious.  “Ms. Potts, thank you so much for coming,” he said.  “We’re starting to get really worried about Tony.” 

“Speak for yourself,” Clint muttered from his place in front of the television.  Natasha kicked his ankle.  They were the only others in the room besides Steve and herself.  Thor, she knew, was visiting Jane in New Mexico.  It was rather odd for Bruce to be absent from such a gathering, however, especially when the topic was Tony.

“What has Tony done that has you worried, Captain?” Pepper asked, not able to glean any clues from Natasha’s impassive face.

“She locked herself in her lab and she hasn’t come out or spoken to anyone in two days!”

Pepper blinked at him.  “That’s…not really all that unusual, Captain.”

“It is, actually,” Natasha interrupted.  “There are bars in front of the doors and grating blocking access from the ventilation shafts.”

“Jarvis?!” Pepper snapped.

“Ms. Stark initiated a stage 1 Deadlock over her workspace fifty-six hours and twenty-three minutes ago,” Jarvis informed her.

“I see.  Status?”

Jarvis paused for all of two seconds.  “Ms. Stark is in good health.  She isn’t using any chemicals or explosives.  I believe her order stemmed from a need for privacy, rather than safety of either her experiments or civilian personnel.”

Pepper raised an eyebrow at Steve, who did not look terribly reassured.  “Why would she need to go to such extreme lengths to keep us out?” he insisted.  “I tried my emergency override and even that didn’t work!  There’s something wrong, Miss Potts.”

“I believe that override was given to you for emergencies only, Captain.  What caused you to think there was something life threatening going on?  Jarvis is programmed to alert _everyone_ if Tony’s life is in jeopardy, whether from illness, accident, or attack.”

“She hasn’t been answering her phone,” Steve said, after several long moments beneath Pepper’s stare.

“I see.  She locked the doors, isn’t answering her phone, so you felt it was okay to attempt to force your way in using a last resort code.  Not only that, but you obviously had either Natasha or Clint attempt to enter through the ventilation, or they wouldn’t know about the grids blocking them.  I suppose I should be glad neither Thor nor Bruce are here, or I’m sure you would have asked one of _them_ to go right through the walls!”

“He did,” Clint tossed out.  “Bruce told him to get stuffed.”  From the way Steve blushed, Clint wasn’t exaggerating.

Shaking her head, Pepper turned and walked back to the elevator.  “I’ll check on her, if only so that you’ll let her be.”

~

“Ma’am, Miss Potts is requesting entry.  May I let her in?”

Tony didn’t look away from the mirror as she nodded.  “Just her, though.  Resume deadlock when she’s in.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Tony heard the distant whir and thunk of the gate being opened and closed again, followed by the click of Pepper’s heels on the floor.  The footsteps stopped behind her, and she lifted her gaze to briefly meet Pepper’s worried eyes in the mirror.  “Hey, Pepper.”

“Tony…what are you doing?”

Tony shrugged and went back to studying her reflection.  “Feeling sorry for myself, I think.  Poor little rich girl,” she crooned sarcastically.  Her fingers traced the edge of the arc reactor, glowing brightly in the dim lighting.  She didn’t need the overhead lights on fully to see the ruin of her body.  The damn thing gave off more than enough light to see the scarring.  To see _it_.

“What happened?”  Pepper stepped closer, until Tony could feel the heat from her body against her back.

“Me being really, really stupid, that’s what.  I thought…I really thought I had a chance at something real.  Something _good_.  But…who the hell is going to want this when….”  Shaking her head, Tony shut her eyes and clamped a hand over the reactor.  “Jarvis, pull up the picture again.  Show Pepper.”

Behind them, one of the screens lit up with a still pulled from the cameras in Bruce’s lab.  It was the moment of _that_ smile, Bruce gazing adoringly at Betty Ross.  Tony didn’t turn to look, didn’t even open her eyes so she could avoid even the reflection of it in the mirror.  “I thought something might be happening with us, y’know?” she confessed.  “And, I mean, I get that I don’t have a lot of experience with long term.  Hell, you’re the one person who’s actually stuck around, and _you’ve_ wanted to leave on more than one occasion, and I pay you!  But I really thought there might be something there.  But shit, Pep, the man’s a genius.  Why the hell would you want a part cyborg, scarred up bitch when he could have…her.  Look at her, Pep, she’s gorgeous.  She’s…she’s like you, an actual _lady_ , and she’s smart as hell.  I can guarantee you that she’s never had anyone leak a sex tape of her to the press.  How the hell can I compare to that?  Scarred, callused, frizzy-haired, promiscuous.  And she definitely isn’t part machine.”

Pepper’s arms wrapped around her from behind.  “You aren’t part machine, Tony.  You have scars, yes.  Scars that you earned, that show that you’ve lived and survived and are stronger than everyone who’s ever tried to take you down.  You have calluses that show that you aren’t afraid to get your hands dirty.  And your hair isn’t frizzy, it’s dried out from constantly exposing it to the heat of welding and washing grease out of it so often.”  Pepper squeezed a little.  “You’ve never been ashamed of your past before, and you shouldn’t be now.  You’ve had sex with a lot of people, and there’s nothing wrong with that.  You never coerced or tricked anyone into your bed, you never took advantage of anyone.  You didn’t do anything wrong, and Bruce knows that.”

“Don’t, Pep.  Don’t try to tell me there’s a chance.  We’re never going to be anything more than friends.  He’s never smiled at me like that.  I’ve never seen anyone look at another person like that, like they’re just the most amazing thing ever.”  She pulled away and opened her eyes.  She took one last look at herself and snarled.  “I’m fucking _wallowing_ , it’s disgusting.”  She kicked, shattering the mirror.  “Forget this, forget all of this.  I’ve lived my whole life without being in love, I see no reason to whine about it now.”  Lifting her chin, she stomped over to the cot in the corner and roughly put her bra and shirt back on.  “C’mon, Pep.  Let’s get out of here.  I need something productive to do.  Maybe a surprise inspection somewhere, those are always fun, everyone all scrambling around in a panic.”

“I’ll have the jet readied,” Pepper agreed, pulling out her phone.

Tony stomped out of her lab and was more than a little displeased to see Steve hovering near the door.  “You need a girlfriend.  Or a boyfriend, whichever, it’s all good.  But you need to get a life and leave me the hell alone, Rogers.  You’ve been bellowing at me through the door like a bull with its nuts in a vice for two freaking days now, and I’m kind of tired of it.  Jarvis, Deadlock my lab again, please.  I’m not feeling very confident in retaining privacy while I’m gone.”

“That’s not fair, Tony,” Steve protested.

“I’m not paid to be fair,” Tony shot back.  The elevator opened for her and Pepper.  “Seriously, get a social life outside of the team.  This mother-henning isn’t healthy.  Jarvis, take us up to my floor.  I need a shower and a change of clothes.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

In short order, Tony had showered and changed and accepted the bag that Pepper had packed for her.  “Jarvis, let the team know I’ll be gone for a while, but I’ll have a suit with me and can be anyplace I need to be in under an hour if something comes up.”


	2. Chapter 2

Tony jolted out of bed as her phone chimed with the Avenger’s signal.  She slipped the earbud in and flicked it on.  “Got the call, what’s going on?”

“Tony?  Good.  We’re not entirely sure.  We’ve got reports of robots of some kind moving across the Arizona desert,” Steve reported crisply.  “So far they aren’t going out of their way to hurt anyone, but if someone is in their way, they’ll just mow them down.  We’ve got three confirmed civilian casualties.”

“Robots huh?  Is it Doom, you think?”  Tony got up and activated the briefcase suit as Steve answered.

“There’s been no sign of him so far, and these don’t really look like his usual efforts.”

“So he’s either getting creative or we have a new player.  Jarvis, give me satellite of the area, please,” she ordered as she moved onto the balcony for takeoff.  “And leave Pepper a message so she knows where I’ve gone,” she added, a little guiltily.  Pepper had probably woken up as the repulsors kicked in.  They weren’t super loud, but the sound was distinctive. 

She gained altitude quickly and set her course, then laid on the speed.  Jarvis put the magnified image from the satellite on the HUD.  “Okay, Cap, I’ve got a visual.  I see what you mean, they aren’t really Doom’s style.  I should be there in…forty minutes, max.”

“Got it.  We’ll be there in ten.  Keep an eye on things, let us know if there are any changes.”

“You got it.”

Tony put all her focus into flying, relying on Jarvis to keep them out of the way of civilian and military air traffic, although it wouldn’t exactly be difficult to dodge anything she came across.  But there was a pounding urgency in her veins, something telling her that she had to get there as quickly as she possibly could.  Which didn’t make a whole lot of sense.  Thor was in New Mexico and would no doubt beat them all there.  The Hulk could handle all fifty of the robots on his own, especially in the middle of nowhere, with no civilians around to watch out for.

As she flew, Jarvis kept the satellite feed current.  She saw Thor arrive.  She saw the robots basically ignore him, except for the ones that he engaged directly.  A few minutes later, the others arrived, and the urgency in her veins only increased as the bots suddenly showed initiative for something besides straight travel, converging on the Hulk with bullets and flame throwers and energy beams of some kind.  Tony lowered her altitude and diverted energy from the internal life support system to the repulsors, giving her a slight speed increase.  “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they’re interested _only_ in the Hulk.  There’s something very hinky going on here, guys.”

“We see,” Steve said grimly.  “Any sign of Doom, or anyone else controlling these things?”

“Not yet.  Jarvis, give me infrared, maybe there’s someone camouflaged….Shit!  Enhance that, Jarvis,” she snapped.  Surrounding the battle site, a few miles out but closing fast, was a shit load of military troops.  American military.

“What is it, Iron Man?” Steve demanded. 

“Guys, you gotta get Hulk out of there.  It’s fucking Ross, this whole thing was a damned trap,” she snarled. 

“Ma’am, I’ve informed Director Fury of the problem.  However, he is at least thirty minutes away, and General Ross and his troops will reach the Avengers in less than five minutes.”

“He won’t leave, Tony, you know that.  He won’t budge when there’s a threat, and these bots don’t even notice the rest of us,” Steve said.

“Then you guys had better get ready for an even bigger fight.  Put yourselves between Ross and Hulk, or we could lose the big guy for good.  If Bruce finds out he hurt someone, he’ll run and we’ll never get him back.”  Tony went lower and cut power to everything except the HUD.  She eeked out every last drop of speed the suit was capable of giving.  “I’m ten minutes out.  Ross will beat me.” 

She listened and watched.  Steve had the team create a perimeter around the battle.  The army soon surrounded all of them, and Steve moved to intercept Ross.  Before he could, the army opened fire.  Tanks fired missiles while the soldiers fired guns.  On the bright side, the missiles took care of the last of the robots.  On the down side, the shooting was so intense that the Hulk ended up crouched under the force of the explosions.  The others did their best, but they were hampered by a desire to _not_ kill soldiers following orders.  Natasha moved amongst the troops themselves, knocking out as many of the soldiers as she could.  Thor tried to take out the tanks and found himself under fire himself, causing Steve to tackle him and cover them both with his shield. 

Clint ran out of his already depleted supply of arrows, but managed to take out three tanks and four armored trucks. 

Then she was close enough to see the battle with her own eyes and brought power back to all her systems.  They didn’t see her coming, which was unfortunate for them.  Worse, she really didn’t care all that much about any of the soldiers getting killed.  She fired all missiles, and each one found their mark, removing the last of the tanks from the equation.

“Ma’am, there are three attack helicopters enroute.”

“Are they ours?” she asked.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Then remove them.”  Ross should have known better than to use Stark Tech – even old Stark Tech – against her and her friends.

She landed in front of the Hulk and fired the repulsors rapidly, hitting the dirt just in front of the line of remaining soldiers.  The blast shot dirt and debris up and back, forcing them to take cover behind what was left of their vehicles.  Finally, the firing stopped.  Behind her, Hulk huffed and growled and slowly, more slowly than she had expected or liked, got to his feet again.  The rest of the team regrouped as well, reforming their perimeter around him.

Tony lifted her visor and advanced on Ross.  The old man aimed a pistol at her.  Behind her, Hulk growled again, as angry as she’d ever heard him.  “You crazy old bastard,” she hissed.  “You have launched a direct assault against the Avengers!  Do you really think SHIELD is going to let this go?  Your robots killed at least three civilians who were in their path!”

“That monster is a loose cannon, and it’s long past time for it to be contained,” Ross snarled back. 

“The Hulk is a hero!  He’s done more to protect this _entire world_ than you ever could have!  What the hell did you think was going to happen here today, Ross?  Over and over you’ve tried to overpower him, and it’s never worked.  Like it didn’t work today.  And in the process, you’ve attacked all of the Avengers, including the ambassador from another planet who has been fighting with us.  If you had managed to injure him or, worse, actually kill him, do you think his father, _the king of Asgard_ , would have just shrugged it off?”

“He shouldn’t have gotten in the way.  I’m here to capture that creature.  Now, before it does any more damage.  It can’t be controlled and directed like an attack dog.  Sooner or later, it’s going to turn on all of you, and when it does, God only knows how many people will get killed.”

“He’s not a mindless animal!” she shrieked. 

“ **It IS**.  That’s all it is, a mindless animal bent on destruction!” Ross screamed back.

“Like hell.  And I’ll prove it to you.”  Tony whirled around and stalked back.  She could see the soldiers around them regrouping, readying machine guns and rocket launchers.  Hulk was standing within the circle of the team, shifting back and forth, large fists clenched.  She made to walk by Steve, but he caught her arm.

“Best not,” Natasha murmured.  “He’s upset, won’t let any of us get any closer.”

Tony snorted.  The suit folded off of her body, leaving her in her pajamas.  That alone was enough to make the soldiers pause, considering her pajamas were nothing more than silk shorts and tank top.  She shoved the suitcase into Steve’s hands.  “Make sure no one else gets their hands on this, Rogers.” 

“Tony, don’t do this,” Steve ordered.  “He’s upset.  Panicked.  He’ll hurt you without even meaning to.”

“Jesus, you’re all just as stupid as Ross.”  She darted around him and walked right up to the Hulk, hands held out to her sides.  “Hey, buddy.  Rough day, huh?”

“Ross,” Hulk growled at her.

“I know.  But we won’t let him attack you again.”

“Ross attack team.”  Hulk looked over at Thor, who was actually bleeding, now that Tony noticed.

“Thor, buddy, you alright over there?” she called.

“My wounds are trivial.  Who is this miscreant, and why does he wear the uniform of this land’s defenders?” Thor demanded.

“His name is Ross, and he’ll be imprisoned for this, if Fury has any say.  Hell, my lawyers are already on it, so there’s that.  It’s kind of a long story, Nat can fill you in later.  Right now, I’m gonna get the big guy out of here.”  Tony laid a hand on Hulk’s arm.  It was like touching hot marble.

“How?  You have removed your armor.”

Tony grinned.  “Are you kidding?  Have you seen this guy jump?  And I happen to know a place  not too far from here that we can hang out in until Fury cleans this mess up.”

Behind her, she heard the faint click of a safety being flicked off.  “The monster isn’t going anywhere except a deep, dark hole,” Ross promised.

Hulk roared and snatched Tony off her feet.  She was held, rather like a child, to his chest.  Since that was pretty much what she’d wanted anyway, she looped her arms around his neck and went with it.  “Jump, Hulk.  Jump, and the team and Fury will make sure that it’s _Ross_ that gets put in a cage,” she murmured.  “He’ll never be able to try to hurt you or the rest of us again.”  She pointed.  “Jump that way.” 

Hulk hesitated for a moment, looking at the team. 

“Go, my friend.  We will deal with these cowardly men,” Thor urged him.

That seemed to be all that he needed.  Hulk crouched slightly and jumped.  Tony couldn’t contain her whoop.  “Oh my god, you guys, Disney can suck it,” she laughed.  They landed with a jolt, then he jumped again.  “Careful, jolly green, we don’t want to over shoot the mark.  I’ve got a…and there it went.”  Hulk heaved a sigh.  “Hey, it’s not my fault.  I didn’t know how very far you could jump.  We cleared _miles_ there, big fella.  We just need to go back a little bit.  I’ve got a decommissioned factory back there where we can wait things out.”

Hulk jumped back the way they’d come and landed them outside the empty factory.  Lacking anything like the keys to the place, she had to have him kick open one of the large cargo doors where the trucks to carry the bombs would drive in to load up.  The Jericho was the last bomb to go through those doors.

She was a little tempted to ask him to just level the whole place.

Inside, Hulk moved through the vast interior without putting her down.  Tony kept her mouth shut and just let him go, curious to see what he was up to.  He found a smaller interior room.  There were no windows, so the only light came from the reactor in her chest.  It was bright enough that she could make out carpet, a long counter along one wall, with a sink.  Probably a break room, then, since carpet was generally not used in any manufacturing environment.  Hulk ducked through the doorway and closed the door behind them before finally putting her on her feet.

“Okay then.  Nice place to hang out until things cool down.  Good choice, buddy.”  Hulk just grunted and sat, back against the door.  No one was getting in the room that way.  They would have to break through the concrete walls, floor, or ceiling.  And even then, Hulk would hear them long before that.

She was safer than anything in Fort Knox, in other words.

She paced the room once, but there was nothing of interest.  The sink still worked, although only cold water came from the tap.  There were still indentations from tables and chairs in the carpet.  Faint bits of tape residue that suggested posters had once hung on the walls.  Sighing, she tapped the communicator in her ear.  “Hey, can you guys hear me?  Anyone still listening?”

“Not a good time, Stark,” Natasha said crisply.  “Unless you need help?”

“Nope.  We’re safe.  Call Pepper in if you need Stark Industry’s backing for anything.  Later!”  She flicked it off, then turned to the Hulk.  She felt, suddenly, pretty damn tired.  Probably a combination of not having slept much for the week that she’d been traveling with Pepper plus adrenaline crash.  “Hey, uh, Hulk?”

Hulk tensed, looking around.  “Smash?” he demanded.

“No, no.  No smash, we’re still safe.  You got us to safety,” she assured him.  “It’s just…I’m kind of tired  now, and it’s a little chilly.”  She gestured at herself, indicating her scanty attire.  She loved the feel of silk, but it wasn’t exactly warm.  “Do you mind if I….”  She pointed at  his lap.  He just looked confused.  She walked back over to him and hesitantly sat next to him.  “You’re warm,” she explained.  “Is this okay?”

Hulk smiled suddenly.  “Hulk warm,” he agreed.  He picked her up and plunked her down in his lap, massive arms around her.  She squirmed around a little until she was comfortable, head pillowed on one arm.  She didn’t actually expect to be able to do more than doze, but within minutes, she was fast asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

“Tony?!”

Tony found herself suddenly awake and rolling across the floor.  Shocked, she scrambled to her feet and whirled to face the threat.  The only person she saw, however, was Bruce.  Who was plastered against the door like he’d seen an angry snake.  “What?  What the hell, Banner?”

“Tony, what’s going on?  Where are we?”  Bruce put a hand to his face, rubbing his eyes.  “The last thing I remember…you were away on business with Pepper, and we got a call about some robots.  And…we landed, and they didn’t look like Doom’s usual, and then I let the other guy out.  What happened?”

Tony blew out a breath.  “Ah.  Guess the big guy had you pushed down pretty deep.  You wanna maybe open the door?  It’s not really much fun playing nightlight.”

“Huh?  Oh, sure.”  Bruce scooted to the side and opened the door.  Very little light filtered in.  “That wasn’t helpful, was it?  Sorry, we can go outside if you like.”

“No, that’s okay.  Looks like it’s night, and night in the desert is pretty chilly.”  Tony sat on the floor and drew her knees to her chest, further darkening the room.  It was a little easier to talk when she couldn’t see him, and when she was sure he couldn’t see her well.  “The bots were a trap,” she said quietly.  “It was Ross.  He had…a lot of troops with him, a few helicopters.  Between the bots that were left by the time he showed and their artillery, Hulk was – I think he was feeling it.  The team did their best, but Clint ran out of arrows, and Nat can only knock out one guy at a time, and they started to attack Thor so Cap had to shield them both.  Bastards actually managed to bloody Big and Blonde.”

“Oh.  Oh, God, I should never have stayed so long.  Especially on American soil,” Bruce choked out.

Tony felt her heart stop.  “No!  Don’t you dare, Banner,” she snapped.  “You didn’t do anything wrong!  Hulk didn’t lay _one finger_ on a single person.  It’s _Ross_ that fucked up.  It was his robots that killed innocent people.  You _know_ SHIELD had the army back off.  He had to have disobeyed orders to go at you.  If I have to kidnap him and drop him in a hole myself, I will make sure that man is locked up for the rest of his life.”

“What – what do you mean, Hulk-the other guy-didn’t touch anyone?”  Bruce shifted forward to grab her arm, eyes urgent and pleading in the dim blue light. 

Tony twisted to take his hand in hers.  “I swear to you, Bruce.  Hulk didn’t hurt anyone.  I probably did, and frankly I don’t give a damn.  I showed up and took out the last of their vehicles.  But Ross wouldn’t back down.  I knew Fury was coming, and SHIELD could deal with Ross and the soldiers, but I needed to get Hulk out of there.”

“What did you do?”  Bruce frowned.  “Where’s your armor, Tony?”

She lifted her chin.  “Hulk was pretty tense, and I didn’t want him getting confused.  I took it off so he’d know I wasn’t armed.”

“Damn it, Tony!” Bruce exploded.  “I can’t believe you’d be so stupid.  Thor was injured, the only guy who can take him on, and you take off the armor?  He could have killed you without any effort at all!”

“God, why am I the only one who sees him?!”  Tony ripped her hand away and stood.  “You’re so afraid of him, so convinced there’s nothing good in him.  He’s _you_ , Bruce!  Maybe he’s the angry, darker part of you, but he’s still you!  So maybe you don’t like me much, but you’d still never hurt me.  And he’s really pretty simple.  He reacts.  He’s very cause and effect.  Weapons cause harm, so he removes the people with the weapons.  He didn’t go after a single member of the team, Bruce.  And okay, he wouldn’t let them too close, but he still didn’t raise a hand to any of them.  I walked right up to him.  And when Ross aimed a gun at my back, his _first impulse_ was to protect me.  Not even to smash Ross, but to pick me up and get me out of the line of fire.”

“Sure, this time.”  Bruce stood up and grabbed her arms, shaking her.  “He’s the very definition of volatile.  He works with the team because the team provides interesting things to smash.  That’s it!”

“You’re wrong!”  Tony shoved him back.  “He picked me up, and I told him to jump.  He hesitated, Bruce.  He hesitated because he was _worried about the team_.  He only left when Thor promised that they would be safe and would deal with the soldiers.  He carried me here.  He brought me inside, and he searched until he found _this_ room.  No windows, only one door, and he sat in front of the door so no one could get in.  Any way you cut it, he was protecting me.  He could have dumped me here and left.  You could have woken up somewhere around Peru.  Hell, he could have dumped me here and gone back to hurt Ross.  He didn’t.  He stayed to keep me safe, and he even let me fall asleep on his lap when I said I was cold.”

“Jesus, Tony.”  Bruce covered his eyes and turned away.  “I really can’t believe you sometimes.”

Tony swallowed.  “Would you prefer I was afraid of him?  Of you?”

“It would be safer for you, so yes.”

“I can’t do that.  I’m not stupid, Bruce.  And I don’t have a death wish.  When he’s going to town, I keep a close eye on him.  But he was controlled.  He was watching.  It was the first time that he didn’t have to face something like that alone, and it made a difference to him.  He isn’t mindless.  He can reason.  I’ve seen it.  Jesus, I’m pretty sure Jarvis has video from the satellite feed if it will help.  I’m not just…I’m not making any of this up, you know.”

“I  know that.  I just think you’re wrong about him.  He could kill you, Tony.  Do you have any idea what that would do to me?”

“Whatever.  There’s some who’d give the big guy a medal.  My life is my own.  I’ll do what I want with it.  And I’ve taken bigger risks, with less of a payout.  Keeping you safe?  That’s worth any risk, as far as I’m concerned.”

“You’re insane.”

She shrugged.  “I’ve been called worse.”

Bruce took several deep breaths and finally chuckled a little.  “I bet Ross’ face was priceless.  You _do_ realize you’re in your underwear, right?”

“Pajamas, actually, and yes.”  She crossed her arms and leaned against the counter behind her.

Bruce suddenly stiffened and turned back to face her.  “Wait just a damned second.  What the hell did you mean ‘you may not like me much’?”  He closed the distance between them in three long strides.  “Where the hell did you get an idea like that?  We work together all the time, Tony.  We –“

“I know, whatever, we’re like science BFFs,” she dismissed.  “It’s awesome.  But come on, outside of the lab?  I’m a big girl, Bruce.  I get that I get on people’s nerves.  Work is done for the day and you disappear.  It’s cool.  It’s fun, actually, there aren’t many people who can keep up with me when I get going.”  She tried to lean back a little further, but the counter wasn’t budging.  “And by the way, you do realize you’re naked, right?  The pants didn’t stand up to the artillery very well.”

“It’s not the first time I’ve woken up naked after the other guy’s been out.”  Bruce nonetheless shifted back a little.  “Tony, I like you.  Not just for your intellect.  I kind of like the whole package.”

“Careful, buddy,” she said with forced lightness.  “If your girlfriend hears you say something like that, she might get the wrong idea.”

Bruce cocked his head, studying her.  Tony couldn’t keep herself from ducking her head, hiding from that too clever gaze.  “Betty isn’t my girlfriend.  She used to be.  And I admit, it was really, really nice to see her again.  To catch up and know that she’s doing well.  But we’ll never be like we used to be, and I’m okay with that.  That ship sailed.”

“Aw, don’t give up so easy.  I’m pretty sure you could have her back for a song.  Um, not that I’m suggesting she’s easy.  We all know who the easy one around here is.  I’m just saying….”

“I know what you’re saying.”  Bruce cupped her cheek and made her lift her face.  “Tony, the only person I have a romantic interest in is an insane genius with a penchant for fighting bad guys in her pajamas.  I’m not in love with Betty.  Not anymore, not like I was.  I’ll always care for her, but she’s part of my past.  _You_ are the one I want in my future.  You’re the only reason I even have a future.  That’s why it scares me so much when I hear about you taking such risks.”

“I – what?”  Tony touched his hand, eyes wide.  “But…I saw the way you looked at her, Bruce.  And she’s smart, and gorgeous, and classy.”

Bruce shook his head.  “I’m not sure what you think you saw.  I know that I was just…really damn grateful that she’d forgiven me for the mess that I made of her life.  I want you.  If you’ll have me.  If I haven’t completely misread things.  You could say something right about now.  That would help.”

“I don’t know what to say,” she admitted.  “I thought maybe…but then I saw you with her, and really, I don’t measure up in all the ways people are always telling me are important.  Are you talking a friends with benefits thing?  Because if that’s all you want, that’s okay with me,” she said in a rush.  And really, she’d be very okay with that.  She wasn’t proud.  She’d take whatever she could get.

“I wouldn’t be.  I want all of you, Tony.”

“No one wants all of me.  There’s lots of me that isn’t pretty, Bruce.”

Bruce laughed quietly, leaning his forehead against hers.  “Tony, I turn into a giant green rage monster.  Do you really think I have room to talk about ugly parts?”

“I dunno.  It’s kind of a pretty green, you know.  I have pajamas that color.  I have a rather colorful  history.  I know tabloids like to exaggerate, but in my case, they usually aren’t far off the mark.  I’ve slept with a lot of people.  I’ve partied pretty damned hard.  I mean, there hasn’t been anyone since Afghanistan, but still.  I can’t change my past.”

“I wouldn’t want you to.  It doesn’t bother me, Tony.  Well, maybe a little, but only in that I don’t have as much experience as you.  I might disappoint you.”

Tony looked down, very pointedly.  “Bruce, I really don’t see that happening.”  Bruce… _blushed_.  “Besides, you know ninety percent of sex is mental.  And I really just kind of want to climb inside your brain and set up camp.  Not that the package isn’t pretty, but my god, man, do you have any idea how sexy it is when you science at me?  No one has ever scienced at me the way you do.”

“Good to know.”  Bruce bent his head and took her mouth in a searing kiss.  Tony gasped a little, startled, then threw her arms around his neck to try to pull him closer.  His hands gripped her waist, big and warm, and she tried to indicate her approval by sucking his tongue.  She could feel him growing hard against her belly and hitched a leg up around his hip.  He gave her an assist by hoisting her up onto the counter at her back.  She was able to get both legs around his hips to tug him in close, right where she wanted him to be.

She really liked where things were headed, so she was pretty miffed when Bruce suddenly pulled away, face turned to the side and breathing hard.  “Bruce, what…come back here,” she whined.

“No.  We aren’t doing this here.  I’m not taking you for the first time in a derelict building on a _counter_ , for God’s sake,” he said.

“I really don’t mind.  It’s kind of a good height.”

“Well, I _do_.”

“Oh.  Right.”  Tony scooted back, letting him go.  “Sorry,” she mumbled.  _Classy.  Real classy, Stark,_ she thought.

“I want a bed.  I want clean sheets, lots of time, and plenty of light so I can see you properly, Tony.”  Bruce cupped her face again and kissed her lightly. 

Tony pushed him back.  “You…. You need to be sure about this, Bruce.  You haven’t seen the worst of me.  You don’t know how difficult I can be.  I was never, not once that I can remember, able to make either of my own parents happy.  I doubt I’ll be able to make you happy in the long term.  This,” she gestured at the room, “is a prime example.  I don’t see a problem with fucking right here and now if you want to, and you do.  I don’t see things the way normal people do.  I won’t remember your birthday, or how you like your coffee, or your favorite color.  You’ll have to keep track of your own allergies, otherwise I’ll accidentally kill you or something.  I’m impulsive and I really can’t stand anyone in so called positions of authority, and –“

Bruce put a hand over her mouth.  “I’ve known you for quite a while now.  You are brilliant, generous, brave and utterly insane, mostly in fantastic ways, and in a few that scare me silly.  I have no problem with your colorful past, including the number of lovers you’ve had.  I love the way you’re as likely to show up to a formal dress event in jeans or a ballgame in a ball gown.  And I absolutely _love_ to watch you work.  So I have just one question for you, and I want you to answer me honestly.”  Tony nodded, eyes wide.  “Will you give me anything that I want?”

“If I can, yes, of course.  Unless you want me to keep away from the Hulk, because that is a whole different argument that you’ll lose, because I am right and you are wrong.  But anything else, absolutely.”

Bruce smiled.  “Then I want you.”

“There’s a zero return policy on that, Bruce.  No give backs,” she warned.

“No take backs either, I hope.  Once you’re mine, I intend to keep you.”

“I think you’re the first person who’s ever wanted to keep me.  I guess that works out nicely then, since I intend to keep you.  Possibly with the aid of a tracking device imbedded in your delicious posterior.”  A grin spread across her face that Thor couldn’t have beat off of her with that hammer of his.  “Well then.  You want a bed, clean sheets, a good lighting.  I can’t say I actually disapprove of any of that.”  She flicked the communicator in her ear on.  “Hey, Jarvis?  What’s been happening?  Also, speak to me while you dispatch someone to pick us up.  Preferably with pants for Bruce, because I don’t want anyone else ogling him.”

“A helicopter will be there shortly, ma’am,” Jarvis informed her.  “The rest of the Avengers are in good health and are awaiting your and Dr. Banner’s arrival aboard the helicarrier.  General Ross is in custody, but there seems to be a great deal of doubt as to how long that state will continue.”

“Excuse me?  The fuck is _that_ supposed to mean?” she snarled, good mood suddenly gone.

“Apparently, there is still an active warrant for the retrieval of the Hulk.  General Ross appears to be attempting to use that to justify his actions.”

“Oh, we will just _see_ about that,” she hissed.

“What is it, Tony?” Bruce demanded.  She relayed the information, and all he did was nod stoically.  And to hell with that nonsense, too.


	4. Chapter 4

Tony strode into the court room, a tiny, shark-like smile on her scarlet lips and gold stilettos clicking on the floor amidst the flurry of camera flashes.  The room was, if possible, even more crowded than the last time she’d faced a congressional hearing.  She gave Coulson a slight nod as she passed him, ignoring his beckoning hand.  She knew damn well that Fury didn’t want her there.  She also didn’t care.  Word about the attack on the Hulk had _somehow_ leaked out, which had led to a hearing as to whether Ross should even face trial.  The argument being, of course, that not only was the Hulk just a rogue weapon of the United States Army, but that Ross had simply been obeying a directive to retrieve said weapon.  Fury was all for letting the hearing play out on its own, if only to maintain a civil relationship with the U.S. military as a whole.  He was confident that regardless of the outcome, the military would keep Ross better reined in.

Tony didn’t share his confidence.  More than that, she’d made a promise to the Hulk, and she intended to keep it.  Her smile widened when she saw Senator Stern.  He made a face like he had sudden indigestion, which pleased her to no end.  “Jarvis,” she murmured, lips barely twitching.  “Tell me this is being broadcast live.”

“It is, ma’am.  I will insure there are no interruptions.”

“You’re the best, J.”  She took a seat at the front, amidst the various military officials and lawyers.  Things got underway very quickly, and Tony let the uptight men drone on for a while, right up until some colonel or other mentioned the Hulk as a ‘potentially valuable weapon that needed to be brought under the proper control.’  Then she stood up.  “I’m sorry, but I will have to disagree with you.  And I think I know my weapons.”

“Miss Stark, please don’t try to suggest that you have _any_ proprietary interests in the Hulk,” Stern said.

“Senator, are you trying to suggest that _anyone_ at all has the right to own a person, even the military?”  She held out a hand behind her and accepted the slim briefcase that Pepper handed her.  “I object, very strenuously, to the notion that Hulk is a malfunctioning weapon that needs to be disabled and either repaired or dismantled entirely.  Hulk is a living, thinking being.  One who has been pursued and persecuted since day one.  The Avengers, contrary to what has been suggested, did not ‘acquire’ the Hulk.  We do not use him.  He has chosen to fight at our sides as a full team member.  If he should, at any time, decide that he no longer wishes to fight at our side, we will have to respect that.  Slavery, after all, has been illegal in this country for a long time.”

Stern scowled.  “We have _no_ evidence that this creature is capable of real autonomous thought. It is more like an organic computer, with very limited programming.”

“Then you have been misinformed, either deliberately or through ignorance.  I know where my personal opinion on that one lies.”  She opened the briefcase to reveal a flat screen monitor.  “What you’re describing is something that can only operate within limited parameters.  The Hulk is capable of taking in a given situation and making choices.  He’s capable of expressing those choices, of expressing his thoughts and feelings, with speech.”  Her lips pursed.  “It’s a bit limited, I suppose, but it’s very clear, to the point speech.  Allow me to present evidence.  Specifically, I have audio and video of the attack that Ross orchestrated, taken from satellite and the Avengers’ own communicators.”  She didn’t allow Stern or anyone else to protest.  She pushed play and moved so that as many people – and cameras – could see as well as hear.  She’d thought about editing it to remove the parts where Steve and Natasha expressed their doubts.  Maybe even her promise that Ross would go to prison.  In the end, she’d left the recording intact and unedited, if for no other reason than those less flattering parts added veracity.  People would be less likely to say she faked all of it. 

The video ended after Hulk jumped them away to safety.  She smiled sweetly at the uncomfortable, thoughtful looks on most of the senators’ faces.  “Gentlemen, I am aware that this hearing is to decide if there are grounds for a trial for Ross.  And contrary to my heat of the moment promise, I am also aware that it is no one person’s decision as to whether another human being should be locked up with the key thrown away.  However, if for no other reason, I believe Ross should stand trial for the deaths of the three innocent civilians that his robots killed.”

The panel of senators huddled up for a few moments, then Stern addressed her again, sounding sour.  “Miss Stark, pending a review of the footage you’ve presented to verify that there has been no tampering, this panel agrees with you.  General Ross will face a military trial for his actions.”

“Thank you, Senator.  I would also like to take this opportunity to educate our military representatives, yourselves, and everyone watching as to Hulk’s true nature.  To that end, I have further video for everyone, starting with the earliest footage ever taken of Hulk.  It will show that he isn’t, and has never been, a mindless rampaging beast, but a powerful creature that was pursued and attacked and defended himself.  Every single instance of the Hulk doing damage can be directly traced to someone threatening to or outright attacking him.”  Before Stern or anyone else could try to derail her, Tony had the compiled footage playing.  She also had eyewitness testimonials, which she passed around freely.  Before the footage was half done, Jarvis was giving her reports in her ear of protests to lock Ross up and throw away the key springing up all over the world.  Internet sites were exploding with people rallying around the Hulk.  There were a few detractors, but she’d expected that.  There always would be.

When that portion of footage ended, she gazed around solemnly.  “I will of course turn this footage over as well, along with the sworn statements of eyewitnesses, so that you can verify all of it.  And I have one more bit of footage to share with everyone.  We’ve seen a great deal of how he reacts when he or someone he cares about is threatened.  But very few people know what he’s like when he’s safe with the people he cares about.  So I’ve brought a few home movies to share with you.”

And this is what she’d been working on for most of the month between Ross’ attack and the hearing.  The first video clip took place back at the decommissioned factory.  All of the Avengers were there.  Bruce had been scared almost the point of leaving when she’d suggested it, but in the end, with both Steve and Thor promising to make sure Hulk didn’t go off the rails, he’d agreed.  They had all returned to the factory, since Tony really didn’t care if it got destroyed, and they had…played.  Under the guise of training, they had brought harmless targets and blunted weapons, and ran drills under Steve’s guidance. 

Tony’s favorite moment of the clip was the one where Hulk and Thor tossed her back and forth like a softball.  Without her armor on.  The point being to practice getting unarmored civilians out of harm’s way quickly and safely.

That clip ended and moved smoothly into the next.  All six of them were lazing around in the shade having a picnic.  Hulk had never really gotten to be the one to eat before, but he had certainly enjoyed the absolutely HUGE cheeseburger that Thor had made him.  He had also responded favorably to strawberry ice cream.

Several more innocuous clips played, each one of them portraying Hulk in ‘play’ mode, or relaxing and as happy as he could get with his team.  Tony had crammed every instance of him speaking and expressing himself into them as she could.  If _anyone_ had any doubts as to his ability to think and speak those thoughts after this, they were severely brain damaged.  When the last of the clips had played, Tony closed the briefcase monitor and handed it back to Pepper.  “I want to thank you all for listening.  Copies of our home movies are on the Avengers’ website, along with contact details should anyone have any questions.” 

With that, Tony turned to walk out, ignoring the shouted questions being thrown at her already.  Bruce was waiting in the limo parked outside, and Tony wasted no time in sliding in next to him, practically in his lap, while Pepper took the seat opposite them.  “That went well,” she said, satisfied.

“I’m still not sure showing the Other Guy like that was the best idea,” Bruce said.  “The last thing we want is for people to start thinking of him as harmless.  If someone tries to get near him, thinking he’s just an overgrown puppy, and gets hurt, it’s going to be _you_ that takes the heat for it.”

“You’re fussing, Bruce.  I’m not saying it’s impossible for some random person to get accidentally hurt, but that’s a risk for all of us on the team.  Hulk avoids civilians.  They’re boring, no fun to smash.  The worst that’s likely to happen is someone getting hit with flying debris, or being trapped if they’re hiding in a building that gets damaged.  And that’s always been a risk.  Letting people know he has a weakness for strawberry ice cream humanizes him, and makes it a lot harder for the military to keep coming for you.  If the government tries to capture Hulk under the guise of taking a weapon, there will be hell to pay.  And if they try to arrest _you_ for crimes done as the Hulk, that will go equally badly, since the whole world knows how much Hulk has done to protect this planet.”

“Besides,” Pepper added, “if there is any kind of heat for Tony, that’s what our lawyers are for.  SI has an entire team of lawyers dedicated to potential fallout from Tony’s activities as Iron Man, including those while participating in Avengers’ business.  Tony’s penchant for helping with medical care and rebuilding after a battle have also earned her a great deal of good will.  Even I have to say that there’s unlikely to be much of an issue.”

“You do that?” Bruce asked, surprised. 

Tony shrugged and glared at Pepper a little.  “It’s no big deal,” she dismissed.  “Anyway, the point is, there’s nothing to really worry about, especially if we keep being as careful as we have been.  Okay?”

“Okay.”  He brushed a kiss on the top of her head and let it go.

 

EPILOGUE

 

Tony easily surrendered all her tech to the guards.  They left her her sunglasses, pushed up on top of her hair, because they were (or appeared to be) plain plastic.  When she had been searched to make sure she wasn’t concealing anything, she was escorted through the facility.  She ignored the inevitable comments from a number of the inmates as they passed the cells, focused entirely on where they were headed. 

Finally, they came to their destination and the guards drew back a short way.  Tony smiled at the man inside.  “My my, _Thunderbolt_.  I love what you’ve done with the place.”

The former general Ross glared at her.  “Stark,” he spat.  “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I just stopped in to see how you’re fairing.”  She leaned closer to the bars, stopping when one of the guards shifted slightly.  “You should have left him alone, Ross.  The moment he became an Avenger, he was off limits to you, and you should have respected that.  Now you’re here, and you’ve got no one to blame but yourself.  I just have one question for you.  Who built those robots for you?”

Ross sneered.  “Go to hell, Stark.  I have nothing to say to you.”

“That’s about what I thought you’d say.  That’s alright, I have an idea anyway.  Hammer never did produce reliable tech.”  His eyes widened slightly, telling her she’d scored.  “I don’t know where you stashed him, but we _will_ find him and lock him away again.  You can bet on that.  Although I doubt you care.  You’ve never shown any loyalty to those who have helped you.  I can’t tell you how glad I am, knowing that you’ll rot in here until the day you die.”  Tony touched her fingers to the sunglasses in a mocking salute.  Then she turned and let the guards escort her back out as Ross spit profanities in the air behind her.

Jarvis would pull a picture from the short video the tiny camera in the glasses had streamed.  Hulk would enjoy it when he next came out.


End file.
